From Light
by SierraAccent
Summary: When Kylie CassadineDevane is thought to be killed, questions are raised as to who exactly is responsible for her death and the disappearance of Robin Scorpio. WSB intrigues, with old and new friends. Let the fun begin.
1. Chapter 1

**From Light**

**Chapter 1**

_Secrets and lies destroy lives. One lie leads to another and another until the story is too far out of control for anyone to know what the truth is anymore. And for one person to live in truth, lives will be ruined and Port Charles will suffer the consequences. The new generation of the Cassadine family wants their families kept safe from the secrets of the past and they will do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals._

_

* * *

_

Alexis walked out of Kristina's room and answered the front door to Jax. He smiled at her and walked inside. She was glad he was able to come. She needed to find Ric and try to talk to him before he left Port Charles. She wanted to just talk everything over with him and she hoped they could come to some sort of arrangement.

"Thank you, Jax," she said.

"All you need to do is ask," Jax answered, shrugging out of his suit jacket and laying it across the back of a chair. She closed the door behind him. "Do you think he'll listen?"

No, Alexis answered in her mind, but to Jax she was more optimistic. "I hope so."

They were in the kitchen now. "You look like you need a break," he told her. "Have you thought about slowing down for a few days?"

"I can't afford to."

"I don't think you can afford not to, Alexis. You look exhausted."

"Looks are worse than the truth," she answered, but she knew he was right. The problems with Sonny and Ric were making it hard for her to do anything else. She knew Sonny would get a court order for Kristina and try to take her away again and if Ric was gone, Alexis could prove to be providing Kristina with an unfit home. Like Sonny could provide any type of fit home. She sighed.

"Has Corinthos been by yet?"

"He was here earlier and made a few threats. He wasn't here long, though, and Kristina was already asleep."

Jax shook his head. "He needs to leave you and Kristina alone."

"He won't. She's his daughter. He's possessive."

"And a criminal," Jax muttered. Alexis smiled. She turned to get her keys and purse when she heard the door open. Hoping it was Ric, she and Jax left the kitchen. It wasn't Ric, instead it was a young woman with light brown hair and piercing, serious blue eyes and in her arms was a small girl who had to be her daughter. She walked into the apartment and closed the door. Alexis couldn't break out of her shock over seeing the young woman, but Jax didn't miss anything.

"Who are you?"

The woman glanced at him, but didn't say a word. She laid her sleeping daughter on the couch and pulled a cell phone out of her shoulder bag. Jax grabbed her arm.

"You just walked in here with no explanation. You will explain, now. Who are you?"

She didn't say a word, but looked at Alexis who felt like her heart was being ripped out. "Jax, please, leave her be. I know who she is."

The woman nodded curtly and pulled free from Jax before dialing a number into her phone. Alexis watched her, unsure of what was going on. She didn't feel she had the right to ask.

"I need to speak to Mac Scorpio," the woman said into the phone. "Tell him it's Kylie." There was a pause and Kylie looked back at Alexis. Alexis had always been good at reading people, but she had never been able to read Kylie. She didn't think anyone could. "Mac," Kylie continued, "we need to meet. Be that as it may, there is a situation. I'll be there in one hour." She took the cell phone away from her ear and hung up.

"Alexis, who is this?" Jax asked.

Kylie looked at him and Alexis could see the small, cold smile cross her lips. "I'm Kylie Cassadine," she answered. "I think Alexis can tell you the rest."

Alexis licked her lips. "Why are you here?"

"Running from Stavros and Faison."

"They're dead."

"Likely story," Kylie answered. "But untrue. I saw them in Greece and spent two days outmaneuvering Faison's assassins. I got back to Boston to get Andi and received word from Frisco that Robin is gone and her apartment was ransacked. A message was found, addressed to me. It was a single word; Endgame."

Alexis took a deep breath. Kylie wouldn't lie to her. Stavros alive, though? It wasn't possible. Luke killed him. But Luke had supposedly killed him before. Helena would do anything to keep her precious son alive. "You're sure it was Stavros?"

"Positive. I haven't a clue why they're together because Faison was nearly killed the last time he did business with a Cassadine." Kylie leaned against the wall. "Frisco is investigating in Paris and then he's going to London to tell Anna. I drew the task of telling Mac."

"He'll think you're responsible."

"Of course. It will only make him hate me more than he already does, if that is possible."

"What is going on?" Jax demanded. He stepped between them and looked at both of them in turn. Alexis looked to Kylie who shrugged.

"Jax, you might want to sit down," Alexis said. Jax looked at her.

Kylie stepped between them. "I have to go meet Mac. Can Andi stay here for the night? I don't know how long this will take."

"Do you want me to wait up for you?"

Kylie grinned. "I don't need you to open the door." She picked her shoulder bag up from the floor and left. Alexis faced Jax.

"I'll go put Andi in Kristina's room and then we'll talk."

* * *

Mac Scorpio paced the length of his living room. He hadn't heard from or seen Kylie since he'd met her at Robin's apartment in Paris. He hadn't liked her then and nothing had changed in the two years since. Robin had kept him up to date on what she was doing, but he really didn't care. Kylie was the only sore subject between him and Robin. He felt he knew enough about her to make the judgment. She was a freelance agent with the World Security Bureau, half-Cassadine, raised by the Cassadines, and at war with most of the Cassadine family. She had put Robin in danger countless times because of some feud or another.

But there was something else. He could tell himself he hated her every minute of the day, but one solitary fact that he couldn't even prove made everything seem surreal. If it was true, he had no right to hate Kylie for anything. He certainly couldn't hate her any more if it was false.

He saw headlights through the curtain. A few minutes later, Kylie knocked on the door. He opened it and let her in. Neither bothered with courtesies. Kylie sat down in a chair and put her bag on the floor. Mac sat across from her.

"Why are you here?" he asked. Then he sighed. "You look like hell."

"You try spending two days running from two of the world's best assassins."

"Why were they after you?"

She shrugged. "I saw something their boss didn't want anyone to see. He saw me."

"So what does that have to do with Port Charles?"

"Nothing, I hope. We're trying to keep everything in Europe, but I have a feeling it will come here, but that's not the reason we needed to talk. After I killed the two assassins, I left Athens for Boston to get Andi. During the flight I received a call from Frisco. He'd placed a security detail on Robin three months ago for reasons he wouldn't tell me. The detail didn't check in and he went to investigate and found them dead. He checked Robin's apartment. Someone had broken in and there was a struggle. We found her gun on the floor, she'd gotten off three shots at whoever it was." Kylie took a breath. "We don't know where she is, Mac. Someone took her, but they knew enough because all her Protocol was gone too."

"So this is about you, again, isn't it?"

Kylie sighed and put her head in her hands. It wasn't about her this time, at least not all of it. Faison had been Robert's enemy. She had only been fighting him for seven years. She knew Mac would never understand that.

"Is there anything else?"

"Stavros Cassadine is alive," she answered. "He was one of the people I saw in Athens. Faison was the other. They were together. I don't know what for or how long they've been working together, but it's a safe guess that Faison is behind Robin's kidnapping."

Mac paled. "Why, though?"

Kylie didn't say anything. Mac didn't know that about her history yet and she didn't want any special feelings or words from him because of it.

"Kymberly?"

Both Kylie and Mac looked up. Felicia was walking down the stairs and she was smiling. Kylie stood up and met Felicia halfway across the room. The older woman enveloped her in a hug for several seconds and then held her at arms length to look at her.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," Felicia said. "What are you doing here?" Felicia looked at Mac. "Does he know?"

Kylie pulled away and glanced at him. "Yes, but he doesn't believe it. He tries to hide it, but he's not that good."

"You're just too hard on people, Kylie. Why are you here, though? I would've thought you'd been here months ago to help Nikolas."

"I tried, but I was swamped in Africa."

"What about Andi?"

"She's been staying with Sean and Tiffany. I left her with Alexis before I came here."

"How do you two know each other?" Mac asked, looking between the two of them.

Felicia looked at Kylie. "Robert named me Kylie's godmother, Mac. After she left the Cassadines, she contacted me and we've kept in touch." Felicia turned to Kylie. "Does Luke know you're here?"

"Not yet. He was going to be my next visit."

"So that means," Mac began, "that you really are Robert's daughter?"

"Yes," Kylie and Felicia answered at the same time. Then they laughed.

"What's so important to come here?" Felicia asked, guiding Kylie to the sofa. Mac hadn't moved. He sat in the same chair, processing the information. Kylie briefly told Felicia what was going on. Felicia listened and didn't ask any questions until after her goddaughter's narrative.

"You need to get Andi protected, fast. If what Sean thinks about the WSB is true, we can't trust them."

"I know. I've been thinking about all this since the flight from Greece. Sean will be here tomorrow. Frisco in a day or two. I think Andi will be safe enough with Alexis. Sonny Corinthos has six guards in and around her building for Kristina."

"What are you talking about?" Mac asked.

Kylie looked at him and sighed. She was spared from answering when her cell phone rang. She grabbed her bag and dug through it before she found her phone and answered. "Yeah."

"Kylie," the caller answered. She swallowed. Why was he calling her? She stood up, excused herself and went outside.

"What do you want?"

"What is going on? I heard reports that something had happened in Paris."

"If you want to know, than maybe you should quit hiding like a bloody coward and come help us." She ended the call and stayed outside for a few seconds to calm herself down. Once she was sure she could face Mac and Felicia again, she walked back into the house. They were talking and stopped when she entered.

"What was that about?" Mac asked. His tone was different, no longer cold.

"A family matter," Kylie answered. She picked her bag up from the floor and stuffed her phone inside. She made a mental list of the people she still needed to talk to; Luke, Nikolas, Helena. She knew Helena would know something about Stavros' activities. It would just be a matter of forcing Helena to tell the truth. Kylie knew how to do that with trickery.

"What are you going to do now?" Mac asked.

"Get some sleep," Kylie answered. "There's not much else that can be done until I talk to Helena. She knows Stavros better than anyone else."

"You can't expect her to tell you anything," Felicia said.

"She will. I know and understand her."

"Are you awake enough to make it to Alexis' apartment?"

"I'll be fine," Kylie answered. She strung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll be by tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have something to work on by then otherwise we'll have to wait."

Mac stood up and walked her to the door. He tried to touch her arm, but she pulled away. He stood outside the door as she walked to her car. Kylie was halfway to the street when a dark colored car sped away from the corner and someone started shooting. Kylie and Mac both dropped to the ground. Mac pulled out his gun to return fire but the car was already gone. He ran out to where Kylie had fallen.

* * *

Emily knocked on the door to Nikolas' hotel suite. She hoped he was there and that he would talk to her. She needed him to understand how he had helped her. The door opened and a man she'd never seen before pulled her inside. Nikolas was on the other side of the room, talking on the phone. He glanced at her and a few seconds later he hung up the phone.

"Everything is moving according to schedule," Nikolas told the man. "I'll get Andi in the morning before word gets out."

The man put a briefcase on the desk. "The papers are in here." He glanced at Emily. "Don't be like your family," he told Nikolas, "tell her everything now. I remember Alexis well enough to know she'll fight you on this."

"If Kylie wants her involved, Kylie will tell her what is going on. Until my cousin says otherwise, Alexis will know nothing of what is going on."

"I'd say you're playing with fire, Prince," the man said. "There's 2 million dollars in Kylie's Parisian account. Take out one hundred a day and stay out of sight."

"I know, Jones. Ky and I have gone over this for three days. While her plan is not flawless, if everyone keeps to the ruse, Andi will be safe."

"Just make sure Andi remains your primary concern. Kylie will kill you if anything happens to her daughter."

"I know her just as well as you do. Keep up your part of the plan."

The man grinned. "Oh, yes. Dealing with Mac is always a joy. Later, Prince," he said with a nod. He turned to Emily, "Princess." He left the room and Emily turned to Nikolas.

"What is going on?" she asked him. "Who was that?"

Nikolas sighed. "You shouldn't be here, Emily."

"I wanted to talk to you."

"I suppose now is a good time. Are you okay, Emily?"

"I'm fine, Nikolas. That's why I've been trying to find you. The therapy session the other day, it helped me. Elizabeth said it upset you. I didn't want that to happen."

"I know, Emily," he said, crossing the room to her. "I don't know if I should even ask this of you…but I need your help."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next morning Alexis woke up to hear someone knocking incessantly at her front door. She got out of bed and put her robe on and went to answer the door. Nikolas, Emily, and Lucky were standing there.

"What's going on?" she asked. The last she'd heard, Nikolas and Emily were still having problems about something. The three walked inside and closed the door. Something was wrong. Alexis could tell in the way the three were acting. Something had happened and Alexis was afraid to know what it was.

"Alexis," Nikolas began, "where's Andi?"

"She's in Kristina's room. What's going on? Where's Kylie?" Nikolas walked to Kristina's room and came out seconds later with Andi in his arms.

"Andi, sweet," he whispered to her, "this is my wife, Emily. I want you to go with her, okay." He handed her to Emily who smiled at the girl.

"Come on, Andi, we'll go get something for breakfast." Emily left and Alexis looked at Lucky and Nikolas.

"What's going on?"

"Alexis, you should sit down."

"Why?"

Nikolas guided Alexis to the sofa and sat her down. "Last night there was a shooting in front of Mac Scorpio's house. Kylie was outside…"

"Is she okay? Is she at the hospital?"

Lucky kneeled in front of Alexis. "Kylie was killed last night, Alexis. She was shot twice and died on the way to the hospital."

"No…she can't be dead," Alexis said. It wasn't possible. Kylie was too much like her father to die. She could not be dead.

"It's true, Alexis," Nikolas said. "I saw her myself. It's Kylie. I identified the body. Mac is leading a full scale investigation, but I think the person responsible is long gone."

"She was just here last night. She left Andi here. She was going to come back." Alexis buried her face in her hands and failed to miss the look that passed between the two brothers.

* * *

Emily took Andi to Kelly's to eat and wait. She hadn't believed Nikolas would get involved in something like this because it was more Luke's expertise. She didn't even know if Luke was involved or not. When Nikolas had told her what was going on, she hadn't believed him. He was getting help from across the globe for this escapade. People, Cassadines, she didn't even know of were helping. Emily had tried most of the night to imagine the possible fallout if this plan failed. Short of catastrophe, nothing came to mind.

"Emily, who's this?" Elizabeth asked. Emily hadn't even noticed her walk in. She was in scrubs and must have just gotten off work because she looked tired.

"Hi, Elizabeth," Emily said. "This is Andi, she's the daughter of a friend. Andi, this is my friend, Elizabeth."

"Hi," Andi said.

"Hello," Elizabeth answered with a smile. She turned to Emily. "What's going on?"

"It's complicated. Nikolas is trying to protect his family."

"She's related to Nikolas?"

"His cousin's daughter. Andi, you see the man at the counter, his name is Mike. Why don't you go up there and ask him for a muffin?" Emily gave her a few dollars and Andi jumped out of her chair and went up to the counter. "Her mother was killed last night," Emily told Elizabeth, whispering. "Shot in front of Mac Scorpio's house. Nikolas thinks those same people will come after Andi. His plan is to take her back to Greece, to the island."

"So you and Nikolas are talking now?"

"He asked me to help him with Andi while he handles Alexis. She's not going to take Kylie's death well. She and Kylie were very close. Nikolas hopes that if he gets Andi away from Port Charles the people who are after her will stay away."

"Who's after her?"

Emily looked over at Andi. She was animatedly talking with Mike. "The Cassadines. Helena has been after them for years. Now it's one of her partners and her son. Kylie feared what would happen if Helena ever got Andi. If Nikolas can do this and succeed, we'll never have to find out." Elizabeth nodded and she too watched Andi. Emily noticed the man sitting in the corner of the diner. He raised his newspaper to hide his face but she could tell he was eavesdropping. She smiled. Being with Lucky and Luke had taught her many things. She continued to watch Andi and she would continue to wait until Nikolas told her to do otherwise. Too many lives depended on the following days. If even one small thing went awry, the entire plan would be scrapped. Emily wouldn't let that happen.

* * *

"You're suicidal."

"Quite possibly, I have never denied it."

"Insanity does run in the Cassadine family. At least tell me you've thought this out."

"Robin, I know what I'm doing. The only way to fight the dead is to be dead."

"At the sake of everyone who cares about you, Kylie? I think there are better ways."

Kylie sighed. This was not the first time Robin had lectured her about this plan. Kylie had admitted it was and would be dangerous. Things would only get worse now that Port Charles was involved. "The Old Cassadine family has passed. Stavros and Helena must pass with it. Nikolas and Luke have tried. Now we must finish it."

"I wish you hadn't lied to Mac and Felicia."

"It is for the best. When word gets out in Port Charles that you've disappeared and that it's suspected Faison is behind it, Faison will be drawn to Port Charles if for no other reason than to gloat about something he hasn't done. Stavros will go to Greece, thinking Nikolas has taken Andi there."

"And I'll take Andi off to Vadzel."

"Yes. Sean will go with you. The rest of us will stay here and end these wars." Kylie grinned and turned her head, picking up the gun lying on the table and whirled around. The passage behind her had opened and a man in a trench coat stepped through. "It is not wise to sneak around this place," she said. "You could get killed, or worse."

"You wouldn't kill me, Kymberly," Frisco Jones said. "You knew very well I was there."

Kylie shrugged and set the gun back on the table. "So?"

"Emily did well. She told her friend what we want Stavros to know. His man was listening to everything. If everything else goes according to plan, Faison will be here tomorrow at the latest."

"That's good to know," Kylie said.

"I'm going to go wait for Emily and Andi to get here," Robin said. "I'll leave you two to your planning." Kylie nodded and watched her sister's retreating form.

"Have you told her about Africa?" Frisco asked Kylie as he walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink.

"What's to tell?" Kylie asked, taking the drink Frisco had poured for her.

"Have you told Robin the truth about anything, Kylie? You should tell her about Africa. Hell, she's your sister…"

"And that man claims he's our father! Why should I put her through the hell of knowing he's alive when he couldn't care enough to tell us himself? You know damn well that if we hadn't seen him in Africa then he never would have told me the truth. He didn't care enough to come out of hiding when I needed him the most and I'm not going to put anyone else through the pain of knowing that he cares only about himself. I don't even know what to believe about him, anymore. Come on, Frisco, _Faison_ told me he was alive."

"I know, Ky," Frisco said with a sad and guilty tone. "Has he contacted you?"

"Last night, before I left Mac's. He called and wanted to know about Paris."

Frisco shook his head. "I don't understand him. Years ago I wanted to be just like him and I wanted to kill Faison for what we thought he'd done; now I sometimes wish Faison had really killed Robert because at least then there would have been meaning to all this."

"He chose his path. He hates the path I've chosen."

"But you had no other choice because of what he chose."

"We know that, but he will never understand," Kylie said. "Let's stop talking about him. I don't really care about Robert Scorpio anymore because he certainly doesn't care about me."

"I wish it was different, Kylie. You don't know how much I wish that for you." Frisco walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "You didn't deserve the life you suffered because of his selfishness."

"If he comes here, Frisco…"

"I know, Ky. We'll handle it then. I'll take care of it then."

* * *

"What are you doing here, Anna? I thought you'd be in Paris, looking for Robin," Mac said, closing the door behind his sister-in-law. He'd been up most of the night trying to find out what was going on and why someone would want to kill Kylie. He was exhausted and really hadn't expected Anna to come to Port Charles.

"Felicia called and told me about Kylie," Anna told him. She sat down on the sofa.

"Wait, you knew about her?"

Anna looked at him. "Of course I knew. Kylie is like a daughter to me. She and Andi stay with me when they're in London."

"How did you get here so fast?"

"Kylie called me from Greece and told me about Faison. I was halfway across the ocean when Frisco called about Robin. I stopped in Pine Valley to tell my nephew and then we came here."

Mac was shocked. Not only had Anna known about Kylie, she'd cared about her. Why did it seem like he was the only one who hadn't known the truth? "Your nephew?"

"Yes, Aidan. He's going out to Wyndemere now to check on Andi."

"She should be here."

"No, Mac, she should be with the family who loved Kylie. I know how you treated her because you don't seem to think that Robert could have had his own secrets. Don't tell me you cared about Kylie and don't suggest you care about her daughter's well being. Aidan is going to make sure she's safe at Wyndemere and after the service for Kylie, Nikolas and Emily Cassadine are taking Andi to Greece."

"She needs to be with family."

"She is with her family, the family that can protect her. Stavros Cassadine ordered Kylie's death and no one can protect people from Cassadines better than a Cassadine. Besides, Kylie specifically stated in her own words that should anything happen to her, Andi was to stay with Nikolas."

"Of course, her loyalty is to the Cassadines."

Anna stood up. "Don't you dare bad mouth Kylie. She risked everything to try to stop Faison. She lost last night." Anna shook her head. "Don't show up at her service if you're going to act like this. She was your niece, your brother's daughter. She and Robin…" Anna's voice trailed off and she fought tears. "Kylie and Robin acted like they'd been raised together. That's how close they were. The only thing I dread about finding Robin is telling her about her sister. To tell Robin Kylie's dead will be worse than anything she's gone through before."

"Kylie was not the angel you seem to believe she was."

"I know better than anyone what Kylie was and was not. Her life was ruined and she nearly died because of Faison. She was just like Robert. She did everything to protect the people she loved." Anna turned away from him and walked to the door. "I'll be leaving for Paris. Unless you change your attitude about my daughters, don't come help us look for Robin."

She left and Mac sat down stunned. He didn't think Anna would care that much about Kylie. Robert had lied to her too about the girl and yet she believed Kylie had been noble. As far as he was concerned, Kymberly Cassadine was just like the rest of the Cassadines. It didn't matter that she was also the daughter of his only brother.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

In a darkened office in London, an angry woman yelled in French. The man she was yelling at sat calmly, not saying a word. He was sure she would get this out of her system and be able to talk in a reasonable tone soon.

Fifteen minutes later, he was still waiting. He really didn't have the time to listen to her complaints and worries about his plans. Finally he grew tired of it.

"Isabel, stop. I'm going to Paris."

"Robert, please. You didn't even care about your family before that woman came into our lives."

Robert stood up. "That _woman_ is my daughter." Isabel shut up and stared. "I didn't tell you before," he clarified. "I didn't want it to become a contest between you and Kylie. She's angry but I don't know why. I made sure she was taken care of. At least I thought I had," he finished. He let out a breath and put his head in his hands. Isabel walked over to him and put her arm around him.

"Robert, you never told me that," she said, her voice heavily accented by her French roots. He looked at her. "You should have told me," she confirmed. "I wouldn't have been so hard on her."

"I think she needed that," Robert said. "What she did wasn't right." He had wondered about Kylie's life since that day in Africa. After he and Isabel had returned to London, he had contacted the WSB and had been told about the Black Box operations ordered for Kylie, Frisco, Anna, and Robin.

The door of the office opened and a young woman stepped through. "Mr. Scorpio, you said you wanted to know anything new about the Cassadines."

"Yes, Katie, what is it?" he asked, looking at her.

"It's all over the news. Kymberly Cassadine was murdered in Port Charles, New York."

Robert paled. It wasn't possible. He'd just talked to her only hours before. He couldn't speak.

"Katie, find out everything you can about this incident," she glanced at Robert. "We might be leaving soon."

"Of course, Mrs. Scorpio." Katie nodded and closed the door. Robert was in shock. That couldn't be right. Kylie was too stubborn to let herself be killed. And in Port Charles? What had she been doing there?

_Indian summers in Port Charles were nothing compared to Africa's summer. Robert Scorpio and his wife, Isabel, spent more energy sweating than working most of the time. They were following up on reports made about a man and woman negotiating the sales of illegal items. The WSB wanted them both captured and questioned if they could be taken alive; if not, no one was to be able to find their bodies. Robert didn't question the order directly, but something about it wasn't right. He didn't understand why the WSB was threatened by these two people._

_"That's them," Isabel said. Robert looked up and at the people she motioned to. She was right. Their two targets stood ten yards away and to the left. They were outside a village and the two people were dressed in clothes typical of recon agents; just what he and Isabel were wearing. _

_The brush became denser ahead and Robert motioned for them to move closer. They were close enough to hear the two breathing so hearing their conversation wasn't a problem._

_"I don't like this," the man said._

_"Neither do I, but we haven't much choice. Damn, this place is worse than Egypt," the woman responded. "What on Earth are they doing?"_

_"Probably contacting Faison who is telling them to kill us," the man answered dryly. _

_The woman shrugged. She pushed a piece of sweat drenched hair away from her forehead. "That look isn't good." She pointed to something outside Robert's line of vision. "Perhaps you were right."_

_"I hate being right," he said. "I give a three count before they start shooting." Two shots rang out. "Perhaps not," he said and pushed her into the brush. Robert pulled Isabel out of the way. Safely in the brush, the man pulled out a gun and returned fire, downing the two shooters. "Well, Kylie, perhaps it's time to go back home." Robert didn't hear the woman's answer, but he felt something was off. The man had dropped a British accent. He sounded familiar, but Robert couldn't think of where he'd heard that voice before._

_"We don't have much time, Frisco."_

_Frisco. Frisco Jones. It couldn't be. Why would the WSB want to kill him? The two were moving away now, quicker than Robert and Isabel could follow unheard. He motioned for her to go in that direction, however, and he pulled his weapon in case they were followed. Something was going on and these two knew what it was. If that was his old friend, Frisco, what was he doing in Africa and why did the WSB think he'd turned traitor? He followed Isabel into a clearing and his instincts screamed _trap_ before he saw it. _

_The woman was holding a weapon trained on Isabel. Her face was hidden under the brim of her hat and Robert felt the barrel of a gun at his neck._

_"Drop it." Robert dropped his gun and held his hands up in surrender. "Why are you following us?"_

_"WSB orders to kill both of you," Robert answered. He turned to face the man. It was the Frisco he remembered. His face hadn't changed at all, except his eyes now held a cold indifference. Even now. "What have you done, Frisco?" Robert didn't know what he expected. Frisco's gun didn't waver, his expression didn't change. _

_"They were right," Frisco called out. _

_"Fabulous," she answered and she and Isabel moved closer. "We don't have the time for this, Frisco. We have to go if we're going to make Athens on time."_

_"We're going to have a problem with that, I think," Frisco answered her. "Because we're dealing with another dead man. One I'm not sure I trust."_

_"Christ," she said, "the bastard was telling the truth for once." Robert got his first good look at her. They just stared at each other, but she was as stoic as Frisco was, if not more so. He knew his daughter, he would know her anywhere. Her hair was darker and her skin tanned, but her eyes were as clear blue as they had always been. It was Kymberly, it was his daughter._

_"Kymberly," he said and started to reach out to her but she pulled away._

_"We don't have time for this. We need to beat Faison to Athens." She put her gun in the waistband of her shorts._

_Frisco nodded. "Yes, we do." He replaced his weapon as well but didn't take his eyes from Robert. "Why did they send you?"_

_"We were here," Robert said. "Why are you here? Why would the bureau want you both dead?"_

_Frisco and Kymberly looked at each other. She answered. "Because we're not happy taking orders from a spoiled brat. Faison's son is running the bureau now. We found out, but no one is supposed to know about him."_

_"That's not possible," Isabel said in her accented English, but Robert was thinking about it. Things had changed in the way orders were coming out of the bureau in the past two years. People he hadn't thought of as a danger were being monitored and killed. The orders on Kymberly and Frisco were the least of it._

_"We don't have time to explain this," Frisco said. He looked at Kymberly. "Do you think?"_

_"Whatever. We don't have time for this. Take them, leave them."_

_"We'll go with you and you can explain this," Robert said._

_"Fine," Kymberly said coldly. "Let's go." And they ran. Almost a mile away a helicopter was waiting._

_"Can one of you fly that?" Robert asked. Kymberly glanced back at him._

_"Buckle in," she said, getting behind the controls. Isabel was glaring at him. He couldn't explain to her what was going on. It would take too long and he wanted to know how his daughter had ended up in the bureau and how she had angered them so much they wanted her dead. Minutes later they were in the air. "Cash still there?" Kymberly asked Frisco. He nodded to her._

_"What is going on?" Robert asked them._

_"Faison and his son, Raphael Carnis, have been running the bureau for two years," Frisco said. "Sean suspected it and Anna confirmed it. We've been trying to keep everyone safe, but with Anna's mother out of prison, Faison's people, and those in the WSB, it's been difficult. Hell, it's been damn near impossible."_

_"Anna?" He hadn't meant to say it aloud, and when he saw the look he received from Frisco and Isabel, he wished he hadn't. Nothing else was said throughout the chopper ride. Kymberly landed the helicopter near a small airstrip. A small private jet waited. The left the chopper and ran to the jet._

_"Madame, everything is in order. Lucky Spencer called. He must speak with you before you arrive in Athens. It was urgent," the pilot said. Kymberly nodded and they all boarded the jet. Robert looked around. The Cassadine Family insignia was everywhere. _

_"I'm going to call Lucky and find out what is so important," Kymberly said. "It can't be any worse than what Nikolas told me." She unbuckled and stood up as soon as they were in the air. Robert looked at her but she didn't even glance at him._

_"We hope," Frisco said. "After we're done in Athens, we'll have to go back to London."_

_"We can't take this jet. We'll have to find something else."_

_"Corinthos owes Robin a few favors. Ask her to call them in," Frisco answered. "Nothing else there's always Marick."_

_Kymberly shrugged and went to the back of the plane to make her calls. Robert wanted to go with her to talk to her, but instead turned to Frisco for answers._

_Frisco sighed. "Well, where to begin. How about with you, Robert? Tell me, what happened that day?"_

_Robert looked at Isabel. He had never told her about his past in Port Charles. She knew nothing about his family or the deal he had made with Faison to protect them. "There was no explosion, at least not on the yacht we were on."_

_"But Anna remembered one."_

_"That was Faison's plan. Shouldn't Kymberly be here?"_

_"Her name is Kylie now. Only the Cassadines call her Kymberly and that in itself is a rarity. If you want to know anything about her, I'd suggest you'd ask her yourself. Now I'm giving you a chance to tell your side of the story. Kylie's known since…she's known for a long time. She only told me, but I didn't believe it until today."_

_"How did she find out?" Robert asked. Only he, Faison, and the WSB knew about the deal. There wasn't a way Kymberly…no, Kylie, could have found out._

_"From Faison, while Raphael stalked her," Frisco ground out. _

_"He what?"_

_"Ask her. She doesn't like people talking about her life." Kylie walked to their area of the plane and sat beside Frisco, across from Robert and Isabel. Her face was still without expression. "So? What did Lucky think was so important to call now?"_

_"Nikolas was arrested and charged for killing Helena."_

_"Shouldn't they instead be investigating why she wasn't in prison?"_

_"One would think," Kylie answered. "But we're talking about the Cassadines. No one really cares."_

_"So where is Helena?"_

_"No one knows. Luke doesn't think she's dead, of course, but he has yet to get a plan to bring her back to town. She doesn't care about Nikolas anymore so we know she won't come back because he's charged with this."_

_"Luke's going to have to take her money. She won't come out of hiding otherwise."_

_"Yeah, I figured that. I gave Lucky enough information to hack into the Cassadine accounts if they wish to do it. Then I told him to make sure Luke put it all back. Nikolas and I are just now getting the finances back to normal. The bank just informed me that Alexis has removed money from the account as well."_

_"Now that is interesting."_

_"I thought you might like it."_

_"Wonder why."_

_"My guess is to leave the country. Corinthos is going after custody. She can't win against him. He has a safe and stable home even if it gets blown up on occasion."_

_"You might want to think about adding kidnapping to our list of crimes," Frisco said, laughing. "Even if Corinthos gets custody, if this gets too big, he probably won't be able to protect Kristina either." _

_"Kidnapping _is_ on our list of crimes. Moscow. We wait." She massaged her temples. "If it does get that bad, Kristina won't be the only person we'll have to get out." She let out a breath. "Lovely. So," she looked directly at Robert and he started at the extent anger being directed at him. "What is your story?"_

He had wondered about Kylie's life since that day in Africa. After he and Isabel had returned to London, he had contacted the WSB and had been told about the Black Box operations ordered for Kylie, Frisco, Anna, and Robin. It didn't make any sense for the bureau to care about a former WSB agent and two young women with no obvious connection to them.

He'd searched for days to find nothing. He'd tried to find out about Kylie's connection to Faison but had only turned up a few reports she and Anna had made to Interpol in Paris and in London. The first had been about a break in at Kylie's hotel apartment in London. Someone had broken in and drugged Kylie. Apparently Anna had come by to talk to her and found the men in the apartment. Kylie later identified one of the men as working for Cesar Faison and the other as working for Helena Cassadine. He'd called Kylie a few days later to confirm the story. She didn't have time to talk and so he called a few days after that and Frisco answered.

_"Don't call her again."_

_"She's my daughter, Frisco. I'll call her whenever I wish to."_

_"Really," Frisco said. "You weren't this persistent before we met in Africa. In fact, I think, and I may need confirmation on this, that you left Kylie to be raised by a murdering sociopath and never tried to get her out of the situation. Don't screw with me, Robert. You taught me quite a bit, but it's been a long time and the rules have changed. I don't work for the bureau any longer."_

_"Don't threaten me, Jones. You won't like the results."_

_"I'm not threatening you, Scorpio. I'm promising you. Unless Kylie contacts you, don't contact her. There is not a place you can hide from me. I have nothing left to lose anymore. My only concern is for Kylie and her daughter."_

_"I'll speak to my daughter whenever I please."_

_"She isn't pleased to speak to you. Face it, Robert. You made your choice and you chose your own life as opposed to saving your daughter's sanity."_

And Frisco had hung up. Robert had thought about that conversation for a long time. He still didn't understand what Frisco had meant and he doubted Frisco would ever elaborate. Robert would never find out what had happened to his daughter. He'd thought she would be safe. Now she was dead. Why had she been in Port Charles? Robin had been kidnapped in Paris. Surely if Kylie had cared as much about Robin as she had seemed to, she would have been in Paris first thing. She would have been at the front of the search, looking for answers.

"Isabel, stay here. I'm going to Port Charles," he said.

"I'm going with you, Robert. No arguments. I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Isabel, my family is in Port Charles. My…Anna might be there. Robin is missing. My brother is there."

"I don't care. I don't think you can do this alone. Just let me go with you." He shook his head, but thought she was right. His youngest daughter was dead, his other gone, taken by a psychopath. Robert didn't know what to do. He needed to help find Robin. He couldn't do anything about Kylie, not now. Unless her death was connected to Robin's kidnapping.

"Only Frisco knows you," he said. "I have a bad feeling about this." He sighed. "I want you to go to Port Charles and I'll go to Paris. Something doesn't fit."

"Are you sure about this?"

"No, but I don't know of anything else to do. I'll give you a list of people to talk to. I've taught you enough to do what needs to be done. Frisco might show up because of Kylie…"

"Robert you should be there because of Kylie. She's your daughter."

Robert shook his head. "She hasn't been my daughter in a long time. I don't think she ever was." He stood up. "I'll put together some information for you to use in Port Charles. I'll contact some people in Paris who owe me and see what I can find out about Robin."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Nikolas Cassadine walked into his study at Wyndemere. He was not surprised to see Kylie sitting behind his desk. She hadn't changed much in the five years since he'd last seen her in Greece. She was more reserved and more vigilant, perhaps, but physically she hadn't changed at all. He saw the invisible scars in her. She had changed so much, but she was the same; from Kymberly Cassadine to Kylie James.

"Nikolas."

"Kylie," he said with a smile. He hugged her. "Where is the little one?"

"Downstairs with Emily and Robin."

"And your husband?" He asked with a grin. Kylie was like an older sister to him and he never believed she would settle down long enough to get married. He didn't think she would ever find someone who could keep up with her world of intrigue and espionage. He had been shocked when he'd heard about the marriage but once he'd met Aidan Devane he understood.

"Somewhere in this maze, I think. He was working with Sean and Frisco on security."

"And you're not? I'm surprised."

She smiled and shrugged. "I need your help with something else, Nikolas, not connected to this, at least not directly."

"Kylie, I'm swamped as it is and I would think you wouldn't have time to worry about anything else."

"It's about my father. He's alive." She looked away and walked to the window. "I've known for years. When Frisco and I went to Africa, Robert was there with his new wife. He didn't even care. He called me last night to ask about Paris…I don't know what to do, Nikolas."

He walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. He could always count on Kylie knowing what to do. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Right now I want to know where he's at. He can destroy this plan and we can't afford that."

"I'll see what I can find out. It will look cleaner if I'm looking into things."

"That's why I asked you. Thanks, Nikolas." They were silent for several minutes. "How did Alexis react?"

"As you expected," he answered. "She didn't believe it for a long time. Lucky and I finally convinced her. She could become a problem."

"I know. I was going to bring her in on this, but I'm not going to make her a target when she doesn't have the reason to be. Did she insist anything about Andi?"

"Just that she wanted Andi to stay with her. I forbade it telling her you had declared Andi was to stay with me if something ever happened. She might try to challenge it."

"She won't have time. If everything goes according to plan, by the time she tries anything, we'll be almost finished here."

He shook his head and walked over to the desk. "I imagine Luke will be here soon."

"Joy. For you."

"I'm tempted just to tell him you're here."

Kylie crossed the room to the desk and leaned across it. "Try it, Prince. Luke doesn't need to know what is going on any more than Alexis does. Alexis has more of a reason to know what we're doing, but you are not going to say a word to either of them. It's bad enough you're involved. I wanted this to stay between Mother and I but that is impossible."

"I should be involved. Helena has as much destroyed my life as she has yours."

"Ah, but there is a difference. I am her daughter. You are the Prince. She hasn't a reason to be loyal to me."

He held his arms up in surrender, not wanting to get involved in that conversation with his aunt. "Okay, but you and Robin should probably disappear before Luke gets here. Frisco and Anna too."

"We're never far, but we won't be close enough for him to find us." She smiled. "Luke is good and he can see through an act. It won't take him long to come up with ideas about what's really going on here. Make sure those stay ideas. We don't need him going to Mac or Alexis and start asking questions." Kylie walked to the passageway entrance. "You acted for me before, Nikolas, do your best for me now."

* * *

Mac grew tired of the questions everyone asked. Why had a Cassadine been visiting his home at such an hour? Did he know why she had come to Port Charles? How did he know her? Did her death have anything to do with the recent recapture of Helena Cassadine? And his favorite; what did he speculate would happen to the Cassadine family? He didn't care about the answers to any of those questions. All he wanted to know was if Kylie's death had anything at all to do with Robin's kidnapping in Paris.

He'd kept Kylie's bag and now had the contents dumped out on his desk. There had to be something inside. He didn't think Kylie had told the entire truth about what was going on in Paris. She had been too calm and too much like a Cassadine when she was talking. The only time he remembered her showing any emotion was when she and Felicia had been talking and even then, it had only been a small flicker.

He hoped something would shed some light on what had happened the night before in front of his house. Kylie'd had dangerous enemies; Faison and, if she had been telling the truth, Stavros Cassadine. He didn't think either of them had anything to do with the shooting, though. He didn't know much about Cassadines but a drive-by shooting wasn't Cassadine style and it certainly was not Faison's. It meant she had another enemy or that something else was going on.

The car used had been found near the docks, clean and abandoned. The plates were unregistered. The car itself had been reported stolen two weeks before. Mac was lost. The only clues he really had were Kylie's life and Paris.

She had kept everything organized. Mac had never suspected she would be like that, but he knew he shouldn't be surprised. She had been a Cassadine. He searched through her wallet but found nothing of interest; pictures of Andi, Robin, Anna, and a man he didn't know, there was several hundred dollars in cash. Her credit cards and other identifying information were under the name of Kylie James. There was nothing.

"Mac, I got the information you wanted from the WSB," Alex Garcia said, entering the office. He closed the door behind him and sat across from him. Mac could usually count on Alex to be level headed, but now he looked shaken.

"And?" Mac asked. He hoped something would have come up in that search. Kylie had worked for the WSB for a long time as a freelancer. They had to have some information about who she really was and what things she was involved in.

"Do you know what a _Black Box_ order is?"

Mac looked up startled. Black Box. He knew what it was, one had been ordered on Anna years ago when they thought she was working as a double agent for Faison. "Yes," he answered.

"I ran a search through the WSB database and got hits for both Kymberly Cassadine and Kylie James. They are two of numerous aliases used by Kylie Devane. Kylie is married to a former British Intelligence officer named Aidan Devane."

Mac looked up. Anna's nephew was named Aidan. He was in Port Charles now, at Wyndemere. Anna knew about it. That could only mean Anna was involved in whatever was going on. He shook his head. Anna was doing it again. She was putting everyone in danger because of Faison but now she'd gotten someone she claimed to care about killed, just like Robert.

"The WSB ordered Black Box orders for the Devanes, Frisco Jones, Anna, Robin, and the list goes on. Everyone connected to Kylie Devane is to be either captured or killed depending on what the bureau suspects they know about her activities."

"Could you find out where the orders originated from or why?"

"Where was easy. All orders came from the office of Raphael Carnis, the new director. Why, however, I don't believe."

"Why? What is it?"

Alex sighed. "Carnis claims Kylie and Aidan tried to kill him and that Frisco and the others were helping them at the time and are continuing to aid them."

"But?" Mac asked.

Alex leaned forward. "Mac, Raphael Carnis is the only son of Cesar Faison."

"There is no possible way that could be," Mac said. "The WSB I remember would have killed him."

"It's true. I called a friend at Interpol. Carnis is Faison's son. Anna and Kylie both went to Interpol in London and in Paris because Kylie was being stalked by Carnis. After her daughter was born, Carnis quit being overt about his activities, he gained control of the WSB almost three years ago. Mac, Carnis kidnapped Kylie and from what I've been able to find out, I think he is her daughter's father."

Mac thought about it. Anna had said Kylie's life had been ruined by Faison. He wouldn't have thought it was a direct connection. "Did you find anything else, Alex?"

"Something you would like. My friend at Interpol said Kylie has learned from the best how to make everyone think she's dead. He said he wouldn't believe she was dead until he saw the body from the time she was shot until she was buried. He doesn't think she's really dead."

"How does your friend know her?"

Alex looked at him. "He investigated her as a part of an ongoing Cassadine investigation. It seems this isn't the first time Mrs. Devane has been declared dead. Once in 1997, 1999, and just last year."

"This doesn't make any sense. Assuming she has faked her death this time, why would she do it?"

"If Carnis is still after her or after her daughter, she could see it as being the only way to protect them."

"Aidan Devane is out at Wyndemere. I think I'm going to go talk to him about his wife."

"I don't know Mac. Maybe we shouldn't put too much emphasis on this."

"I want to know if Kylie's death has anything to do with Robin's kidnapping, Alex."

"I called around in Paris and found her landlord. Robin hasn't lived in her apartment in over six months. She hasn't even been there. Before that, a woman matching Kylie's description was staying with Robin, but she didn't have a little girl with her. I'm guessing she put Andi somewhere else."

Mac sighed. He didn't like the way this entire situation was beginning to look. Alex didn't seem to think Kylie was really dead and Mac was beginning to question that too. Anna was involved in what was going on, but he couldn't think of a possible reason why. Anna wouldn't do anything to put Robin in danger on purpose if she could help it. What was so important about Kylie that would make Faison and his son chase her? For what reason would they still be after her? How did Frisco fit into the situation? Mac had too many questions and no answers and he wasn't happy about it. One of his nieces was dead and the other was with a psychopath. Something wasn't right and Mac wanted to find out what it was.

* * *

"Another member of your favorite family died last night," Skye said, walking onto the Haunted Star. "Luke? Luke, where are you?"

"Right here," he whispered in her ear, grabbing her waist from behind. He pulled her to him and let his head rest on her shoulder. "Now what are you yelling about."

"I wasn't yelling," she began, but gave up when he grinned at her and walked to the bar. She sighed and followed him, putting a newspaper on the table. "Do you even look at the news?"

"Now why should I do that when I have you here to tell me what it is?"

"Luke." He poured a drink and set it aside. "A Cassadine was killed last night in front of Mac's house."

Luke looked at her. "Which one?"

"Not one we know," she answered. "Kymberly Cassadine."

Luke downed the drink and poured another. "Kylie? Nope, it's not a dead Cassadine."

"Luke she was shot to death in front of Mac Scorpio's house."

"I know Kylie. She wouldn't die for nothing." He laughed. "She's probably out at Wyndemere with the Prince. She'll make an appearance in a few days."

"What makes you so sure?"

"She's my goddaughter and this isn't the first time I've been told she was dead…although it is the first time I wasn't told about it before it happened."

"Why Mac Scorpio, though?"

Luke shrugged. "Depends on what she's trying to accomplish. Although she's not going to get Bubba's trust soon if she's getting herself killed in front of his house. Maybe I should go out there and see."

"Luke, what's going on?"

"Haven't a clue, Red." He downed another drink. "I'll find out though."

* * *

Kylie walked through the passages of Wyndemere, thinking about what she and Frisco had talked about the day before. She hated the person her father had become. Once, she had loved him, adored him.

When she had first been taken to Greece, she had wished and prayed that the explosion had been a set-up and that Robert Scorpio was really alive and would come find her. Every night for the first year at least, she dreamed he would come for her and save her from Helena. But Robert never did. In his place, however, was Stefan. Stefan had treated Kylie like she was his own daughter. He paid for her private tutors and everything else she needed. He made sure she never spent took much time around Helena and allowed her to use the Cassadine name. In his eyes and under his tutelage, she had become his sister in name and blood. He had known the truth, but kept the secret to protect her. She owed Stephan everything.

When Nikolas told her about Stephan's death by Luke's hand, she'd been devastated. No matter what Stephen had done to anyone, she had still remained loyal to him and loved him. She wished she had his help now. No one knew Stavros better than he had and no matter how much she had been told about him, Kylie didn't think she knew him well enough to plot his next moves. She had tried to remember something of Stavros but Robert had taken her from the island and so she knew very little of her older brother. He would be a wild card. She didn't like wild cards. They were impossible to plan for and the consequences could be irreparable.

"Hey."

Kylie jumped. She hadn't heard anyone approach and if she had, she had been too lost in her thoughts to comprehend what sound was made.

"Lucky," she said. "You shouldn't be here."

"I came to check on things," he said. "See if anyone needed anything or if we were good to go."

"I think we are. Robin and Andi are leaving tonight. Nikolas and Emily tomorrow after the wake." She cocked her head. "Something is going on. What is it?"

"Mac is looking more into this than you would like. I thought you might want to know."

"I thought he would," she said. "I knew he wouldn't let it go if he thinks it has something to do with Robin."

"Perhaps you should give him a chance to help. He loves Robin and would die to protect her, just like you would. Don't throw him to the side because of whatever feelings you have against him."

"He despises me, Lucky," she told him with a sigh. "I wished it was different, but it's not."

"And how much of the truth have you ever told Mac? I doubt anything you've ever told him is the truth. He won't trust you if he doesn't have a reason to."

"Have you seen Luke?"

Lucky sighed in resignation. "No, but I imagine he'll be here soon."

"Take care of him. The last thing we need right now is to have him getting involved in this. Do what you have to and get him out of here."

"He could help."

"No. He'll drag it out and go after Stavros alone. We can't allow that if we're going to end this now."

Lucky shook his head. "You're taking on one hell of a task here, Kylie. You know once Helena finds out Faison is here, she'll find a way to escape."

"Anna already has that taken care of. We have someone in place and ready. Once Helena makes a move, Interpol will grab her." Lucky didn't say anything and Kylie's cell phone rang. "Yes. I'll see what I can find out. Don't do anything until one of us arrives." She slid her phone into her pocket and looked at Lucky. "I have to go. Try to stay out of trouble."

He nodded and she rushed down the length of the passage away from him. Her contact had to be wrong. Robert could not be in Paris right now. Kylie knew if he discovered Robin wasn't really missing he'd come to Port Charles first thing. Why, why had he gone to Paris? How had he known what had happened there in the first place? She had made sure things were kept quiet to keep people like him from finding out.

And now this. With Charlotte Devane in Paris as well. This wasn't shaping out the way she had hoped. She needed to get to Paris and find out what was going on before Charlotte found out something she didn't need to find out. They didn't need Charlotte involved as well. No one would survive with the combined forces of Faison, Charlotte, and Stavros.


End file.
